Thursday, September 29, 2011

In April 1883, Surendra Nath Banerjea, in his paper Bengalee, openly criticized Justice J.F.Norris of the Calcutta High Court for his indiscreet comments against Indians and declared him unfit for his high office. Thereupon Surendranath was charged with contempt of Court, found guilty and sentenced to two month's imprisonment.At that time Surendranath was the most famous Indian politician and the idol of young Indians.His conviction and imprisonment created a profound impression not only in Bengal, but throughout India which showed that India was on the threshold of a new era.
The Association held an All India National Conference in Calcutta in Dec. 1883. The first national conference was presided by Ramtanu Lahiri.

Ramtanu Lahiri (1813-1898)- a dedicated follower of Derozio, a renowned teacher and a social reformer. Peary Chand Mitra wrote about him, “There are few persons in whom the milk of kindness flows so abundantly. He was never wanting in appreciation of what was right, and in his sympathy with the advanced principles.”
Born in a high kulin Brahmin family of Krishnanagar, Nadia, and educated at Hindu College, Ramtanu , was attended by delegates from different parts of India including Bombay, Madras, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Lahore, and Saugar.

In 1884, following the conference, Surendranath Banerjea went on a propaganda tour of upper India to promote the spirit of national unity among the peoples of India.

In May 1884 the Madras Mahajana Sabha was formed to join hands with the rest of the country.

In the Bombay Presidency Poona had emerged as a centre of Maratha political aspirations. The Poona Sarvajonik Sabha established in April 1870stimulated political life in the western Presidency.In Jan 1885 Bombay Presidency Association was established. Accordingly within a few months Poona Sarvojanik Sabha, the Indian association, and Madras Mahajana Sabha decided to send three delegates -- N.G.Chandavarkar, Manmohan Ghosh, and S. Ramaswami Mudaliar to England.

The second National Conference was held in Calcutta in Dec 1885. This time it was convened by the three leading organisation of Calcutta- The British India, The Indian Association and the Central Mahomedan association.

Simultaneously, Indian national congress met in Bombay for the first time. But since the two organisations had simmilar demands and programmes the leaders of the second National conference decided with a true patriotic and broad Nationaist outlook to merge their organisation with the Congress. This happened when the Congress met in Calcutta in dec. 1886.

The secretary of State for India, Lord Salisbury , reduced the maximum age limit from 21 to 19 years for the Indian Civil Service Examination. Since the examination was held only in England, the Indians were virtually excluded from the highest civil service in their own country. The reduction of the upper age limit by Salisbury was viewed as a deliberate measure to eliminate whatever little chance the Indians still had to enter the service. The Indian Association resolved to organize a nationwide protest movement and to utilize the occasion as a means to inspire all the provinces of India with a sense of solidarity.An impressive protest meeting held at Town Hall, Calcutta, on 24th March 1877, was followed by similar meetings in different parts of India. As a Special Delegate of the Indian Association, Surendranath Banerjee visited Lahore, Amritsar, Delhi, Meerut, Agra , Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Bombay, Ahmedabad, Poona, Madras, and other placesin 1877-78 to mobilize public opinion on the civil service question. The issue was thus admirably utilized by the leadersof the Indian Association , especially Surendranath Banerjea and Ananda Mohn bose, to build an all-India movement.Surendranath's travel and stirring speeches, generated great enthusiasm wherever he went. Indian association deputed in 1879 one of its most most talented members, Lalmohan Ghosh, to Britain and lay before the British public the grievanceof the Indian people. The deputation met with little success but Lalmohan Ghosh presented the Indian case so admirably as to create a very favourable public impression in Britain and win the support of many leading British liberals like Gladstone, John Bright, and Chrles Duke. The next important issue, which the Association took up in 1879, was the demand for self-Government. The demand for representative Government for India had been gathering momentum for quite some time, and the leaders of the Indian Association that local self-Government should be followed by National self-Government. Hence a committee was formed to prepare scheme of movement for obtaining a representative Government of India and issued a circular to all the branches to petition the Government, under the provision of Bengal Municipal Act of 1876, for reorganisation of the municipalities on an elective basis.The movement organised for elected local self Government by the Association in 1882 met a success and in 1884, new local Government rules came into force in Bengal, the Association urged the educated community in the districts to pariticipate in the elections and to press, wherever possible, for a non-official chairman.The Indian Association widened its breach with the British Indian Association by launching an active programme to support their cause. This populist measure provided the Indian Association in its battle for leadership with British Indian Association which had increasingly appeared a cotradiction with the landlords. In this case also the indian association got a success because the enacted a Tenancy Bill for the benifit of the peasants .
Indian Association took another lead in the Vernacular press act (1878) enforced by Lord Lyton Thus Indian Association won an enviable national fame under a group of dynamic leaders .
But the arrival of Lord Ripon inIndia in 1880 with some measures 1. Repeal of the Vernacular Press Act and their introduction of the Local Self Government Act did much to assuage Indian Public Opinion.
In 1883 C.P.Ilbert, the Law Member of the Viceroy's Council introduced a bill to remove the race disqualification of Indian magistrates and empower them to sit in judgement over offending Europeans in the mofussil.The socalled Black Acts had also tried to imperial administration of justice. Ilbert Bill, in the history of India, a controversial measure proposed in 1883 that sought to allow senior Indian magistrates to preside over cases involving British subjects in India. The bill, severely weakened by compromise, was enacted by the Indian Legislative Council on Jan. 25, 1884. The bitter controversy surrounding the measure deepened antagonism between British and Indians.
British subjects in 1873 had been exempted from trial by Indian magistrates, and in cases involving death or transportation they could only be tried by a high court. But by 1883 the viceroy, Lord Ripon, proposed to make British subjects amenable to sessions courts, over which Indians were now senior enough in the civil service to preside. This proposal as embodied in the Ilbert Bill provoked furious protests, especially among the Calcutta (Kolkata) European business community and the Bengal indigo planters, and there was covert sympathy from many officials. A compromise was reached by which a British subject could claim a jury, half of which would be Europeans. The new Westernized Indian middle class felt itself slighted by this arrangement, and the incident did much to give Indian national feeling a political form.
The modified bill introduced by Ripon in January, 1884.The success of the opponent of the Ilbert Bill had taught the Indian leaders the efficacy of a highly organised agitation .

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The rapid expansion of English education and the formation of different political and apolitical organisation in India brought about a qualitative change in Indian politics by the 1870s. Increasing political awareness made more and more people eager to actively participate in nationalist politics. At the same time the national interests of groups and regions, were definitely taking a firm hold of the popular imagination. Existing organisations like the British Indian Association with an elitist character and outlook could hardly cope with the changing situation.
The need of the hour, which had evolved through the years of experiment in politics, since Rmmohan, was an organization with broader social and regional base and more dynamic goals.
It was this situation which led to the foundation of the India league in 1875. Although Sambhu Chandra Mukherjee, editor of Mookherjee's Magazine became its president, the moving spirit behind the League was Sisir Kumar Ghosh, editor of the Amrita Bazar Patrika, a bitter critic of the British Indian Association for its undemocratic constitution and narrow class interests. The league was intended as a deliberate challenge to the British Indian Association. The Indian League changed the class character of the British Indian Association in respect of its members which contain middle class and even the masses and to stimulate nationalism among them. Some of its distinguished members were Surendranath Banerjee, Ananada Mohan Bose, and Manmohan Ghosh complained of the high-handedness of League's President Sambhu Chandra Mukherjee and left the league.They formed an organisation known as Indian Association in 1876.
The birth of this association evidently opened a new era in Indian nationalist movement.
The Indian Association was established at a crowded meeting held in the Albert Hall, Calcutta, on 26 July, 1876. Surnedranath Banerjee, Ananda Mohan Bose, Dwarakanath Gangulee, Sibnath Shastri were among those who were primarily promoted the organization.
The main intention of the organization was to promote unity among all section of Indian people including Muslims.The composition of the first executive committee of the Association unmistakably shows that in tune with the primary aim of its founders it was overwhelmingly representative of the rising generation of English-Educated middle-class intelligentsia . By 1888, there were branches of the Association in many Bengal districts as also in outside Bengal such as Lahore, Ferozepur, Allahabad and Assam.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

In Bengal the growth of literature made the greatest contribution to the development of national and patriotic feeling during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The name of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee stands foremost in this connection.His famous novel Anandamath contains the hymn Bande Mataram which had been the naional anthem of India upto 1947. During the long and arduous struggle for freedom from 1905 to 1947 Bandemataram was the rallying cry of the patriotic sons of India, and thousands of them succumbed to the lathi blow of the British police or mounted the scaffold with Bandematram on their lips The main theme of the novel inspred the Bengali youths to supreme sacrifice during the hectic days of the swadeshi movement.

Saratchandra's "Pather Dabi", written half a century later declared band, also attracted the youths.

Some Bengali poems of Rangalal Bandyopadhyay, "Ode to Liberty", and of Iswar Chandra Gupta also inspired the youth.

Monday, September 26, 2011

The agitation for the introduction of reforms in Indian administration was not confined only in India or to the Indians. From very early times the work in India was supplemented by work in England, both by the Indians and Englishmen. The first Indian to realize the importance of such work was Raja Rammohan Roy. The memorandum which he admitted to the Parliamentary Committee on Indian affairs was the first authentic statement of Indian views placed before the British authorities by an eminent Indian. It is generally agreed that this and other activities of Raja Rammohan Roy during his visit to England (1830-33) produced some good effect and influenced the Charter Act of 1833.

Dwarakanath Tagore, was the next prominent Indian political leader to visit England.The honour and cordiality with which he was received in Britain offers a striking and refreshing contrast to the general attitude of the British towards the Indians in later days. During his first visit to Britain in 1842, he was given a public reception by the notabilities of England, and even her majesty Queen Victoria invited him to lunch and dinner.

In a public address in Edinburgh it was expressed that in India " the rod of oppression may be for ever broken and that the yoke of an unwilling subjection may be everywhere exchanged for a voluntary allegiance. Both Rammohan and Dwarakanath felt the need of carrying on propaganda in England on behalf of India, and made permanent arrangements for this work, as mentioned above.Of the many Englishmen there were Fawcett, John Bright, Allan Octavian Hume, William Wedderburn who were members of the Indian Civil Service.

Special reference should also be made to the grand old Man, Dadabhoy Naoroji. He was the most distinguished member of the small band of Indians, who made England their centre of activity for the political advancement of India by awakening the consciousness of the British people to their sense of duty towards India and appealing to their democratic instincts and liberal principles.

Dadabhoy Naoroji in collaboration with W.C.Bonerjee, started a Society in London in order to enable the Indians and Englishmen to meet together and discuss various matters concerning Indian administration. It was called the London Indian Society. and its inaugural meeting was held at the London residence of Jnanendramohan Tagore in 1865. Dadabhoy Naoroji was the president and W.C. Banerjee was the secretary of the Society.This society was amalgamated within a year with East India Association.which was inaugurated on 1866 in collaboration with a committee of retired English Officials.It soon became recognized as an Association and branches of it were formed in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.By the year 1871 the number 0f members rose to four figures. Another Association in London was founded in 1867 by Mary Carpenter, the famous biographer of Raja Ram Mohan Roy who visited India four times during sixties and seventies of 19th Century . This National Indian Association did not acquire much importance.

Ananda Mohan Bose a Cambridge student established , Indian Society in London in 1872.

Though the spirit of nationalism was first evolved in Bengal but it soon spread in different parts of India, but the positive evidence afforded by contemporary records is not as adequate or as easily available as in Bengal.In Bombay the writings and activities of Visnu Krishna Chiplunkar, who died in 1882, Mahadev Gobinda Ranade, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar and Balgangadhar Tilak, as well as the ideas preached by Gopalrao Hari Deshmukh, etc definitely indicate the growth of a strong national feeling.This is only what could be normally expected.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the great nationalist leader of Bombay, gave expression to these ideas through his paper the Kesari. As far back as 1885 he wrote;
" We are, at present, gradually being inspired by the spirit of patriotism. The birth of patriotism among us is due to English rule and English education........"
Tilak made it the great object of his life to diffuse the spirit of patriotism and nationalism among the masses.Among the expedients adopted by him were the inauguration of Shivaji festival and the transformation of the traditional worship of Ganapati into the national service Two of the great forces are calculated to deeply stir the national mind,namely religion and history.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Mahadev Gobinda Ranade was another eminent leader of Bombay, specially inthe field of social and economic rather than political.

Another important political association of the time was the Mahajan Sabha of Madras founded on May 16, 1884. A fair idea of its views and activities may be formed from the proceedings of the Conference which was summoned by it and met for four days, 29-30 Dec, 1884 and 1-2 Jan 1885. A paper was read recommending the expansion of the Legislative Council to the furthest limit allowed by the Act of 1861, the non-official members being appointed on a representative basis . It was decide to send a memorial on this line to the Government.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Hindu Mela was a socio-cultural organisation aimed at reviving the glory of Indian civilisation, mobilise the Hindus, especially the youth, and to cultivate the national language and ideas, so as to fight the cultural colonisation of British. This organisation was mainly supported by several members of the Tagore family, Rajnarayan Basu and Nabagopal Mitra (the editor of the National paper).

In April 1867, on the day of the Chaitra Sankranti (the last day of the Bengali year) the Hindu Mela was established.A formal committee was set up on the first day of the Mela of which Ganendranath Tagore became the first secretary and Nabagopal Mitra the chief organiser. An exhibition was arranged on the occasion with National art-work, handicrafts, cottage industries etc. Among others who took active interest in the Mela were Dwijendranath Tagore, Rajnarayan Basu, Kristodas Pal, Girish Chandra Ghosh, Raja Kamal Krishna Bahadur and others. This was an early attempt to fight British Imperialism and to develop national industries.
The first three annual gatherings was also called Chaitra Mela. A national fair was organised on Chaitra Sankranti. The annual mela was inaugurated amidst the patriotic song of Dwijendranath Tagore- Malina Mukhochandra Ma Bharat Tomari (O mother India, your moon-face is so gloomy...). At the second annual Mela (1868), held at Belgachia and presided by Gnanandranath Tagore, a patriotic song composed by Satyendranath (when he was an ICS) - Gao Bharater Joy was sung . This song was virtually the National Song till Bankim Chandra wrote Bande Mataram to replace it.. The details of the Mela was published in detail in all the news papers and magazines. In its annual gathering of 1875, Rabindranath Tagore recited his own poetry -Hindu Melar Upahar - which was publised in Amrita Bazar Patrika of 25 February 1875. The Hindu Mela gradually lost ground unable to cope with the new and complex demands of the 1880s and 1890s. In the 1890s the Mela gradually faded away. But the spirit of swadeshi that it invoked in the minds of the Bengalis survived, which was subsequently developed during the Swadeshi Movement during the early period of twentieth century

The man who, more than any one else, was responsible for fostering nationalism in Bengal was Rajnarayan Basu. Himself a radical and a great devotee of the West in his youthful days, Rajnarayan decided to promote national awareness for the Indian culture. In 1866 he established the society for the Promotion of National Feeling (Jatiya Gaurab Sampadani Sabha). The purpose of the society, as he clearly mentioned it, was not political agitation or religious movement; it was to encourage the growth of the nation's cultural life in its various manifestations. Inspired by his ideas, Nabagopal Mitra established the Jatiya Mela, later, renamed Hindu Mela, in 1867. He started an annual gathering known as the Hindu Mela in order "to promote the national feeling, sense of patriotism, ans a spirit of self-help among the Hindus." The special features of the gathering were parriotic songs, poems, and lectures , a detailed review of the political, social, economic and religious conditions of India, an exhibition of indegigenous arts and crafts and performances of indigenous forms of physical exercises and feats of physical strength. It had an all India outlook, and specimens of arts, crafts, were collected from banaras, jaipur, Laknau, Patna, and Kashmir.

The Hindu Mela met altogether fourteen times from 1867 to 1880. An association, called the 'National Society' , was founded after the fourth session of the Mela.As the Mela was confined to the Hindus, objection was made to use the word 'National' . Against this, the National Paper, the organ of the Mela observed as follows;

"we donot understand why our correspondent takes exception to the Hindus who certainly form a nation by themselves, and as such a society established by them can very well be called "National Society." Nabagopal elaborated his view of Hindu Nationalism through his writings."the principles which promoted nationalism amongst the Greeks was love of country, among the Jew the Mosaic Law, amongst the Romans the love of liberty and renown and amongst the English the love of liberty."

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Several attempts were made to revive the ancient Hindu religion and culture independently of the movements for modernising the Hindu Society.Typical examples of such movements were those started by Sri Ramkrishna and Vivekananda in Bengal and others in different parts of India.The Ramkrishna-Vivekananda movement tried to create a feeling among the people that there was no basis at all for their inferiority complex. Of all these movements, the one started by Sri Ramkrishna Paramhamsa was the most prominent. Brought up in an orthodox atmosphere, he reached the Dakshineshwar temple where from he conducted his early activities as the priest of the temple. Soon his name spread as a man of peace who would solve the problems of his devotees through sacrifice. In short, he was a devout person and an idealist untouched by even a tinge of bourgeois social reform, cultural renaissance or urge for national independence.Neverthless, even under this idealism and spiritualism Sri Ramkrishna's preachings and deeds did provide a fertile soil for the growth of modern bourgeois nationalism. His teachings and practices contained elements which were distasteful to orthodox Hindu culture. His spiritual teachings and practices surmoned religious and caste distinctions. He tried to convert people into devotees of Kali and Shiva, where they be Brahmins or non-Brahmins, Muslims or Christians. In fact, he became the priest of the temple of Kali, challenging the then existing communal practices and customs. Later, he also tried to adjust himself with Muslims and Christians by studying their scriptures and practices. Thus, he built a new spiritual movement which although devoid of modernism, stood above the caste distinction, religious superstitions and prejudices which were considered as black spots in the fabric of the Hindu society.
Even the new generation of the bourgeois intellectuals working with the aim of modernizing the society and holding modern outlook which were distinctly different from that of Ramkrishna, were attracted towards him. Lawyers, Doctors,Professors, high officials in Government service and such others became the disciples of Sri Ramkrishna. Many scholars engaged in a comparative study of the philosophy of Hinduism and of ancient Greece and Modern Europe designed to establish the superiority of Indian culture and civilisation found Ramkrishna's spiritual teachings and practice of meditation attractive.
One of the young disciples of Ramkrishna who rose to eminence and fame was Narendranath Dutt. He was attracted towards Sri Ramkrishna at a time when he was seeking some means to overcome certain family problems after the completion of his higher education. He soon became a disciple of Sri Ramkrishna, and after the demise of his master became the foremost amongst the founders of an order of Sanyasins pledged to propagate the message of teachings of Sri Ramkrishna throughout the world. As the leader of the order of Sanyasins, he adopted the the name of Swami Vivekananda and it was in this name that he, later on, became famous.
The tours Vivekananda conducted to propagate the message of Sri Ramkrishna throughout India and abroad were ostensibly a movement for the propagation of Hindu religion. But in effect, it turned out to be a movement for the resurgence of India's soul which was being trampled upon by foreign rulers and for challenging their culture.
The address he delivered at the world religious convention held in Chicago and the appreciation it received from the intellectuals of the western world helped Indians to overcome their sense of inferiority.
﻿

Swami Dayanand Saraswati- Founder of Arya Samaj

Born: 12, February, 1824Died: 31, October, 1883

AchievementsDayanand Saraswati was a reformer and believed in pragmatism. He preached against many rituals of the Hindu religion such as idol-worship, caste by birth, animal sacrifices and restrictions of women from reading Vedas. He was not only a great scholar and philosopher but also a social reformer and a political thinker. Dayanand Saraswati was responsible for the revival of the Indian educational system by bringing together pupil from different strata of the society under one umbrella, that is, classroom.

Early Life
Dayanand Saraswati was born on 12, February, 1824 in Tankara, Gujarat. His original name was Mool Shankar. His father Karsanji was a tax collector and was a rich, prosperous and influential person. He was the head of an eminent Brahmin family of the village. When Mool Shankar was eight years old, Yajnopavita Sanskara, or the investiture with thread of the "twice-born" were performed. His father was a follower of Shiva and taught Dayanand Saraswati the ways to impress the Lord. Dayanand was also told the importance of keeping fasts. On the occasion of Shivaratri, Dayanand had to sit awake the whole night in obedience to Lord Shiva. One such night, he saw a mouse eating the offerings to the God and running over the idol's body. After seeing this, he questioned himself, if the God could not defend himself against a little mouse then how could he be the savior of the massive world.

When Dayanand was fourteen years old, his sister died. He was so shocked by the sudden demise of his sister that he began to look upon death as a challenge. He also ran away from home to know the secret of death. In search of the answer, Dayanand wandered all over the country for around twenty years. During his course, Dayanand visited temples and sacred places of religious devotion. He met Yogis living in the mountains and forests but nobody had the perfect answer Dayanand was seeking for.

Lastly, Dayanand Saraswati went to Mathura where he found Swami Vrijananda and became his disciple. Vrijananda asked Dayanand to throw away all his books and learn directly from the Vedas. After completing his Vedic-education, Dayanand realized that his purpose of learning the "secret of death" has been satisfied. On the day Dayanand was to leave from the ashram, Swami Vrijananda called him and asked to spread the knowledge of Vedas in the society. The name Rishi Dayanand was also given by his guru Swami Vrijananda.

Arya Samaj
On 7 April, 1875 Dayanand Saraswati formed the Arya Samaj at Bombay. It was a Hindu reforms movement, meaning "society of the nobles". The purpose of the samaj was to move the Hindu religion away from the fictitious beliefs. 'Krinvanto Vishvam Aryam" was the motto of the samaj, which means, "Make this world noble". Today, the Arya Samaj organization is very active not only in India but also in various parts of the world. The United States, Canada, Trinidad, Mexico, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Malawi, Mauritius, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia are some of the countries where the Samaj has its branches.

The 10 principles of Arya Samaj

God is the efficient cause of all true knowledge and all that is known through knowledge.

God is existent, intelligent and blissful. He is formless, omniscient, just, merciful, unborn, endless, unchangeable, beginning-less, unequalled, the support of all, the master of all, omnipresent, immanent, un-aging, immortal, fearless, eternal and holy, and the maker of all. He alone is worthy of being worshiped.

The Vedas are the scriptures of all true knowledge. It is the paramount duty of all Aryas to read them, teach them , recite them and to hear them being read.

One should always be ready to accept truth and to renounce untruth.

All acts should be performed in accordance with Dharma that is, after deliberating what is right and wrong.

The prime object of the Arya Samaj is to do good to the world, that is, to promote physical, spiritual and social good of everyone.

Our conduct towards all should be guided by love, righteousness and justice.

We should dispel Avidya (ignorance) and promote Vidya (knowledge).

No one should be content with promoting his/her good only; on the contrary, one should look for his/her good in promoting the good of all.

One should regard oneself under restriction to follow the rules of society calculated to promote the well being of all, while in following the rules of individual welfare all should be free.

Death of a saint
Due to his radical thinking and approach to the social issues and beliefs Dayanand Saraswati had created many enemies around him. One such enemy of the saint was the Maharaja of Jodhpur. On the occasion of Diwali, the King invited Dayanand Saraswati to Jodhpur and killed him by offering food mixed with poison, in 1883. The king was believed to be against the principles of Dayanand Saraswati

Friday, September 23, 2011

Raja Rammohan Roy opposed the practice of the worship of images which formed an essential feature of Hindu religion since time immemorial. He looked upon this idolatry as a degeneration from the pure monotheistic doctrine of the Hindu Scriptures. His ideas were taken up by a number of English educated persons with whose co-operation he established the 'Brahmo Samaj' in 1828.and opened his 'Church' on 23 January, 1830 before a gathering of 500 persons.He did not belong to any particular sect but organised a meeting ground for all those who discarded idolatry and worshipped one God.
A new light was thrown in the Brahmo Samaj by Keshab Chandra Sen. He introduced inter caste marriages and various other unorthodox practices which created a split of the Brahmo Samaj. 1. Adi Brahmo Samaj, 2. Brahmo Samaj of India at the end of 1866.
Keshab made some singular contributions, directly to the growth of Brahmaism and indirectly to the national life of India.He was the first to inaugurate an all India movement of religious and social reforms, by undertaking missionary tours to Bombay and Madras in 1864, and to North-West provinces four years later. he gave different names for different provinces, such as Prarthana Samaj in Bombay and Veda Samaj in Madras. This was a precursor to a similar movement which was launched by Surendra Nath Banerjee. Keshab induced the Government to pass in 1872 the Native Marriage Act, popularly known as the Civil Marriage Act, for legalising marriages which were not valid according to the Hindu Law.

But Keshab deliberately eschewed politics and "openly proclaimed loyalty to the British Government as an article of the creed of his Church." Keshab's leadership did not last long.

Many of the educated sections among the people of India who were within the sphere of influence of the British rulers were sympathetic to Christianity and the missionaries who were propagating this religion.

Rammohan Roy was not one among them. On the contrary, he even opposed the religious preachings of the Christian missionaries and their attempts at proselytizing. He did not conceal his faith in the Vedas and Upanishads which were considered to be the foundation of the doctrines of Hinduism, either. He advised the Hindus to wholly imbibe the doctrines contained in the Vedic literature, and put them into practice.

He also ensured that this distinction was brought to the attention of others. He believed that the caste rules, and the caste-based customs and practices were fundamentally opposed to the Hindu religious faith and that they prevented the Indian people, including Hindus, from reaching the level of other civilised peoples.

Rammohan Roy wielded his sword mainly against the ill treatments towards woman and low caste people in the Hindu society. Brahmo SamajThe first phase of its history is intimately linked with the career of its founder Rammohan Roy (1777-1833). The Brahmo Samaj which was launched into its eventful career on 20 August, 1828, gave a concrete expression to Rammohan's concept of Universal Worship. Tarachand Chakraborti one of the leaders of the "Young Bengal" group was appointed the secretary of the organisation.

After the departure of Rammohan Roy for England (Nov. 1830)and his death there (Sept. 1833), the Brahmo Samaj as an organisation gradually reached a moribund condition though its name, theology and social ideals continued to live and prosper among certain groups in Calcutta. The munificence of Rammohan's friend Dwarakanath Tagore and the single minded devotion of Pandit Ramchandra Vidyavagis enabled it however to tide over the period of crisis to new life was infused into the Brahmo movement by Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905), Dwarakanath's eldest son who is to be reckoned as the second great leader of the Samaj.Debendranath's interest in Brahmoism found its earliest expression in his foundation of the Tattwabodhini Sabha in 1839. He joined the Samaj in 1842 and was formally initiated into Brahmoism by Ramchandra Vidyavagis, along with twenty other young men on Dec 21, 1843 (7 Paush, 1765 Saka), a memorable day in the cultural history of Bengal, still celebrated annually at Santiniketan.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, rationalists and free-thinkers like Akshoy Kumar Dutta , Rakhal Das Haldar, Anangamohan Mitra, Kanailal Pyne, and others all with a common ideal and programme in harmony with the religious and social ideals of Rammohan Roy. The era of Tattwabodhini Sabha (1839-1859) ushered in a significant and creative epoch in the history of Brahmo Samaj.

The next phase of the Brahmo movement is dominated by the dynamic personality of Keshab Chandra Sen (1838-1884) who joined the Samaj in 1857. But due to some difference of opinion with Debendranath, the Samaj was divided into Adi Brahmo Samaj, headed by Debendranath and Brahmo Samaj of India guided by Keshab Chandra. On May 1878 a band of Keshab Chandra's followers left him to start Sadharan Brahmo Samaj who took active part in forming Indian League (1878), Indian Association the nascent stage of Indian National Congress.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Impact of Western Ideas:
Dr. R.C.Majumdar said, "Nationalism is one of those concepts which are easy to understand, but difficult to define in precise terms".Where Mill defines it as;
"A portion of mankind is said to constitute a nationality if they are united among themselves by common sympathies which do not exist between them and any others, which make them co-operate with each other more willingly than with the other people, desire to be under the same Government, and desire that it should be Governed by themselves or a portion of them exclusively."
Such a feeling was not prevail ant at the commencement of British rule. True nationalism is based on patriotism and love of liberty in general.These ideas were developed in India by the impact of Western Education and culture. The first manifestation of it is seen in Raja Rammohan Roy's passionate love of liberty which "made him take interest in, deeply sympathise with, all Political movements all over the world that had for their object the advancement of popular freedom." His international feelings for the freedom of the people of the world is well illustrated by several incidents, such as the people of Naples were crushed by the Holy Alliance in 1821. ( Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. Naples is known internationally for its rich history, art, culture, architecture, music, and gastronomy, and has played an important political and cultural role on the Italian peninsula and beyondthroughout its 2,800-year existence.)
The Raja also gave a public dinner at the Town Hall in Calcutta on the establishment of constitutional Government of Spain.
During his visit to England, though suffering from some injuries in his leg, he insisted on visiting to French frigates who were flying the tricolour flag. He had an unflinching faith in the French Revolution and English Radicalism.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Hindu School Kolkata is one of the most revered school in the city and boasts of a star alumni who have been elemental in the development and enrichment of the Bengali society. This band includes leading politicians, social reformers, litterateurs, artists and much more who remained proud of the school lifelong while equally making Hindu School proud of them. Below is a list of some of the most prominent students of the school. However, such a list is too exhaustive and we regret the inability to accommodate all the famous names that comes to your mind in this list.

Prasanna Coomar Tagore (1801-1868)- Son of Gopi Mohan Tagore, one of the founders of Hindu College, Prasanna Coomar was one of the leaders of the conservative branch of Hindu society. However, he had participated in Raja Rammohun Roy’s campaign for the abolition of sati and was actively involved in setting up the Landholder's Association and the British Indian Association of which he became president. A prominent educationist and social reformer, he established the Hindu Theatre in 1831. As the spokesman of the landholders, he opposed the Sepoy Mutiny on principle and the British government bestowed the title of CSI on him in 1866. His writings include “An Appeal to Countrymen” and “Table of Succession” according to Hindu Law of Bengal.

Ramtanu Lahiri (1813-1898)- a dedicated follower of Derozio, a renowned teacher and a social reformer. Peary Chand Mitra wrote about him, “There are few persons in whom the milk of kindness flows so abundantly. He was never wanting in appreciation of what was right, and in his sympathy with the advanced principles.”

Born in a high kulin Brahmin family of Krishnanagar, Nadia, and educated at Hindu College, Ramtanu

Lahiri was one of those educators and intellectuals who paved the way for various reform movements in Bengal in the 19th century. Influenced by Rammohun Roy, Lahiri renounced Hinduism and adopted Brahmo as his religion which led to widespread displeasure among the conservative Hindu Pandits and exposed him to much humiliatin and mistreatment. However, disciples held him in high esteem. One of them, Pundit Shibnath Shastri, commemorated his guru by naming his famous social commentaries, “Ramtanu Lahiri O Tatkalin Banga Samaj” (1904), after him. Ramtanu made significant contributions to the expansion of Brahmoism. By his learning, dedication and regenerative outlook and guidance, he created a generation of students who subsequently made great contributions in the fields of education, politics, journalism and other professions.

Raja Dakshinaranjan Mukherji (1814-1878)- Editor and social worker, was born in 1814 in Kolkata. He studied at Hindu College and was a prominent member of the Young Bengal Group.

While still a student, he edited the journal Jnananvesan (1831). Subsequently he edited Bharat Patrika and Samachar Hindustani. He used to contribute regularly to the Bengal Spectator. He used his oratory to oppose the government laws directed towards suppressing the voice of the press. Notably, he was the first Indian collector of Calcutta Municipality and also served as Diwaan to the Nawab Nazim of Murshidabad and deputy collector to the Raja of Burdwan. Dakshinaranjan was one of the founders of the Bengal British India Society (1843). In 1849 he donated land to John Eliot Drinkwater Bethune to establish Bethune Girls School as the first girls' school at Kolkata, and thereafter assisted in its establishment in various ways. He supported the British in 1857 and as a reward, he was granted the Sankarpur taluk of Rai Bareily in 1859 by Lord Canning. In 1871 Lord Mayo awarded him the title of 'Raja'. Dakshinaranjan died on 15 July 1878 in Lucknow.

Peary Chand Mitra (1814-1883)- Writer, journalist, cultural activist and entrepreneur. Peary Chand studied at home, learning Bengali and PERSIAN with a pundit and a munshi respectively. He entered Hindu College in 1827 and studied under Henry Derozio. The organisations he was actively associated with were Association of General Knowledge (1830), Bengal British India Society (1843), David Hare Memorial Society (1844). To posterity, however, Peary Chand Mitra is particularly known for his contribution to the development of journalism and Bengali literature. He was a regular contributor to the “Englishman”, “Indian Field”, “Hindu Patriot”, “Friend of India” and “Bengal Spectator”. The greatest literary contribution of Peary Chand was Alaler Gharer Dulal, hailed as the first Bengali novel. The book set a new trend in Bengali literature regarding prose style and diction with Peary Chand breaking away from the traditional (formal) prose style to use colloquial Bengali instead, the living language of the people.

Raja Dakshinaranjan Mukherji (1814-1878)- Editor and social worker, was born in 1814 in Kolkata. He studied at Hindu College and was a prominent member of the Young Bengal Group.

While still a student, he edited the journal Jnananvesan (1831). Subsequently he edited Bharat Patrika and Samachar Hindustani. He used to contribute regularly to the Bengal Spectator. He used his oratory to oppose the government laws directed towards suppressing the voice of the press. Notably, he was the first Indian collector of Calcutta Municipality and also served as Diwaan to the Nawab Nazim of Murshidabad and deputy collector to the Raja of Burdwan. Dakshinaranjan was one of the founders of the Bengal British India Society (1843). In 1849 he donated land to John Eliot Drinkwater Bethune to establish Bethune Girls School as the first girls' school at Kolkata, and thereafter assisted in its establishment in various ways. He supported the British in 1857 and as a reward, he was granted the Sankarpur taluk of Rai Bareily in 1859 by Lord Canning. In 1871 Lord Mayo awarded him the title of 'Raja'. Dakshinaranjan died on 15 July 1878 in Lucknow.

Peary Chand Mitra (1814-1883)- Writer, journalist, cultural activist and entrepreneur. Peary Chand studied at home, learning Bengali and PERSIAN with a pundit and a munshi respectively. He entered Hindu College in 1827 and studied under Henry Derozio. The organisations he was actively associated with were Association of General Knowledge (1830), Bengal British India Society (1843), David Hare Memorial Society (1844). To posterity, however, Peary Chand Mitra is particularly known for his contribution to the development of journalism and Bengali literature. He was a regular contributor to the “Englishman”, “Indian Field”, “Hindu Patriot”, “Friend of India” and “Bengal Spectator”. The greatest literary contribution of Peary Chand was Alaler Gharer Dulal, hailed as the first Bengali novel. The book set a new trend in Bengali literature regarding prose style and diction with Peary Chand breaking away from the traditional (formal) prose style to use colloquial Bengali instead, the living language of the people.